Classifying disability
Due
to the Paralympics' classification rules, South Africa's double amputee
"Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius can line up against runners with only
one prosthetic leg.
Defying the odds
Chinese
swimmer Zheng Tao has no arms, but that didn't stop him winning gold against
competitors more physically abled.
Level
playing field?
Britain's
gold medalist Jonathan Fox looked "more able" outside the pool than
his swimming rivals, according to former Canadian Paralympic middle-distance
runner David Howe, who is now an academic.
Breaking it down
Athletes
are placed in one of six main disability groups: those with spinal injuries,
cerebral palsy, amputees, the blind or visually impaired, intellectual
disabilities and those whose disabilities fall outside of those categories,
like those born with dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.
From 1 to 10
Each
of the Paralympics' 20 sports are divided between the different classifications
and given a number that denotes the severity of the disability -- 1 being the
most severe, 10 the least.
'Look to the
potential'
The
IPC has complicated things further by trying to slim down the number of medals
and disciplines and look beyond the disability as the defining factor in
classification. Instead, it says, look to the potential of the athlete.
Controversial changes
Paralympic swimmer Mallory Weggemann, along with U.S. teammate Victoria Arlen, have both battled the International Paralympic Committee after having their classifications changed.
No comments:
Post a Comment